Shuford's Subway franchise could be the start of many more

Date AddedSeptember 25, 2009 10:47:15 AM

Author

Ray Shuford has been in law enforcement since he was 19 years old, but approaching retirement in a few years, he knew he wanted to do something different, so he opened the Subway restaurant in Lawtey this past March.

His father, the late Dave Shuford, had a gas station at the 301 site for years, and then it was leased to an auto repair business until Shuford decided to redevelop the property and turn it into the city's first free-standing fast food franchise.

He is assisted by his wife, Patty, a nurse, as well as his mother, Gloria, who will come and direct from the sidelines.

Calling it fast food belies the experience Shuford and family hope they are creating for their customers. Most orders are placed to go, but Shuford hopes customers are taking away more than a sandwich.

"I can't change the product, but I can change their experience," Shuford said of his customers. He credits his father with instilling that business ethic in him, and it's what he wants to instill in his staff.

"I can have a clean restaurant. I can have a friendly restaurant. I can have a place that's unlike any you're going to find. That's our goal," he said. It's all about going the extra mile. "If you take care of the customer, they'll take care of you.

"Aside from the affordability of the franchise compared to other big names, Shuford said he was interested in providing a healthier product as well. It's possible to fatten up a sandwich or salad with sauces and other such toppings, but in general the franchise is known for offering fresh, made-to-order meals that are better for you than the fatty fried fare offered elsewhere.Shuford was also interested in the health of the company he was going to select, and he said Subway has shown consistent growth over the years.Business has been good, and the official grand opening is planned in a couple of weeks, once some adjustments to the driveway are made. After a short run offering breakfast, the restaurant now opens at lunchtime stays open past midnight on most nights to catch the officers getting off late shift at the prisons.

Shuford, who currently holds an IT position at the Bradford County Sheriff's Office, has ambitions to open additional Subway franchises in the future. His goal is to own four more, though he intends to buy those instead of building them.Seeing Dollar General coming out of the ground and hearing talk of other new businesses, Shuford jokingly said he has started something by opening his restaurant, and but he sincerely believes growth in customer traffic to one business will bolster traffic for the neighboring businesses as well.

Lawtey is poised to see even more growth, he said, pointing out that if you pull up the city Google Maps online and zoom out a little, you will see just how close Middleburg really is."They are on top of us already, and if they ever open that road (125) up all the way through, it's unbelievable what's going to happen over here," he said.

SOURCE